An 18-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of raping a teenage girl in the sea off Bournemouth beach last summer.
The 15-year-old girl was playing in the sea with friends when she was allegedly dragged into deeper water and attacked at about 4pm on 18 July 2021.
Detectives from Dorset police’s major crime investigation team (MCIT) said an 18-year-old man from the West Midlands had been arrested on suspicion of rape. He has been released on bail as inquiries continue.
The alleged attack took place near the Oceanarium on Bournemouth beachfront on one of the hottest days of the year, when thousands were on the beach.
Police launched a high-profile appeal after the alleged attack, releasing an efit image of the suspect and appearing on Crimewatch in September and March to ask anyone with information to come forward.
They said the girl was playing with a ball in the sea with her friends when it landed in front of a teenage boy. He threw the ball back but began talking to the girl, before allegedly pulling her out deeper into the sea and raping her.
DI Wayne Seymour, of MCIT, said: “We have continued to support the victim and her family throughout this investigation, and they have been updated with this latest development.”
A 17-year-old boy from Warwickshire was arrested in connection with the incident in September but subsequently released without charge.
